An exploratory assessment of the educational practices during COVID-19

Purpose This study aims to address the state of teaching-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing the pedagogies used, evidence collected, best practices used and technologies used for instruction by the academics in higher education institutions (HEIs). This study also analyses the impact of online academic motivation (OAM) and online academic amotivation of the teachers on the online student engagement (OSE) during the emergency remote teaching (ERT) period. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed methodology by incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods for analysis. Data used in this study have been drawn from a pool of educationists teaching in various HEIs in different parts of India (n = 900). Sentiment analysis, project map and mind map have been used to analyze the teachers’ experiences in the new teaching environment. Further, this study uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis to measure and validate the study’s scales. Findings The combination of empirical and qualitative analysis captured the ERT model followed by the teachers. The overall experience of teachers regarding the online mode of teaching-learning is moderately positive. This study reports a direct positive and significant impact of teachers’ motivation on perceived student engagement in the online mode. Originality/value This research proposes and validates scales to measure perceived OSE and the teachers’ OAM. This study also establishes an impact assessment of the teachers’ motivation levels on the students’ engagement from an educator’s perspective.

A REVIEW OF ACADEMIC AMOTIVATION AND THE APPLICATION OF MIRACLE QUESTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Academic amotivation contributed to maladaptive functioning and negatively affected the academic engagement of adolescent students. This paper aimed to study on the application of the Miracle Question (MQ) in facilitating adolescents with academic amotivation. The present work also demonstrated the underlying theories of academic amotivation (i.e., Self-Determination Theory) and MQ (i.e., Solution-Focused Brief Therapy). A three-part process model and practical effects of MQ were included for practitioners such as school counselors and teachers to assist adolescents better. The main implication of this paper is to highlight the potential of MQ to stand alone as a primary technique in school counseling and teaching practices. More qualitative research on school-based interventions using MQ is recommended.

The academic climate and student-teacher relationship as determinants of academic motivation

In this study we focus on the university students and the factors that influence their academic motivation. The participants were 202 students from different universities and specializations, 167 females and 35 males, aged 18-31 years, M = 21.33, SD = 2.15. We used Perceived Academic Climate Scale (Felner, 1993), Teacher-Student Relationship Scale (Brinkworth et al., 2018), and Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992). Our objective was to identify the relationship between academic climate, teacher-student relationship (TSR), and academic motivation in the university environment, and to investigate the influence of the career anxiety on the academic motivation of students. The results show that anxiety regarding future career can moderate the relationship between school climate and academic amotivation and also between TSR and academic motivation.

The academic climate and student-teacher relationship as determinants of academic motivation

In this study we focus on the university students and the factors that influence their academic motivation. The participants were 202 students from different universities and specializations, 167 females and 35 males, aged 18-31 years, M = 21.33, SD = 2.15. We used Perceived Academic Climate Scale (Felner, 1993), Teacher-Student Relationship Scale (Brinkworth et al., 2018), and Academic Motivation Scale (Vallerand et al., 1992). Our objective was to identify the relationship between academic climate, teacher-student relationship (TSR), and academic motivation in the university environment, and to investigate the influence of the career anxiety on the academic motivation of students. The results show that anxiety regarding future career can moderate the relationship between school climate and academic amotivation and also between TSR and academic motivation.

Explaining the Relationship Between ADHD Symptomatology and Amotivation in the Undergraduate Population: The Role of Basic Psychological Need Frustration

Recent research has shown that undergraduate students who experience both clinical and subclinical attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle academically. Furthermore, these students have cited academic amotivation as a factor in their academic difficulties. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that a lack of motivation—known as amotivation—may be the result of the frustration of the basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness. For this reason, the current study examined whether basic psychological need frustration mediated the relationship between ADHD symptomatology and academic amotivation. A sample of undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire about their university experience. Data were analyzed using a mediational structural equation model. Results suggested significant relationships between all of the variables. Moreover, basic psychological need frustration fully mediated the relationship between ADHD symptomatology and academic amotivation. These results demonstrate the importance of fulfilling the basic psychological needs of undergraduate students experiencing ADHD symptomatology, as it may increase their academic motivation, and, subsequently, reduce their academic difficulties.